The students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) have suspended their movement on Saturday following a meeting with Education Minister Dipu Moni. They urged the university authorities to resume the classes and examinations. The students made the announcement at 7 pm at a press briefing on the SUST campus. “The meeting with the education minister and the deputy education minister was successful and as the minister has assured us of fulfilling all our demands, we’re suspending the movement for now. We’ll be waiting to see our demands are met,” said Mohaiminul Islam Raj, spokesperson of the protesting students. The students have discussed their six-point demand and some proposals for the overall development of all the universities of the country, he said. Also read: SUST VC finally apologises over cop attack on students “We’re urging the university authorities to resume classes and examinations from Sunday,” he said. Earlier in the day, Vice-Chancellor of SUST Farid Uddin Ahmed expressed regret over the police action on protesting students on January 16. “I express my sincere sympathy to all of those, including students, teachers and staff injured in the unwanted incident on that day,” he said in a press statement. On Friday, regarding the student’s demand of VC’s resignation Dipu Moni said it will be placed before the President as he is the Chancellor of the university, holding the power to appoint and remove someone from the post of VC. Regarding the two cases filed against the protesting students, she said arrangements will be made to withdraw those cases as soon as possible. Also, the mobile banking accounts and numbers of students that were shut during the protest will be reactivated within a few days, said Dipu Moni to the protesting students at the meeting. Also read: Removal of VC up to President Hamid: Dipu Moni to SUST students Dipu Moni also assured that proper treatment will be provided to Sajal Kunda who was injured in police firing and a government job appointment for him, said the students at the briefing. The students resumed their protests on Wednesday after their demand for the removal of VC was not met. They are now calling for the resignation of the new proctor. SUST Proctor Md Alamgir Kabir was relieved from his position on Thursday and replaced by Associate Professor Md Ishrat Ibne Ismail of the English department. The protests began in the middle of January. And over two dozen SUST students who went on fast unto death ended their strike on January 26. They broke the fast after former SUST Prof Zafar Iqbal offered them water to drink. The students embarked on the hunger strike on the university campus on January 19, demanding the resignation of the VC over the police crackdown on their fellows. The strike was launched after police swooped on the protesting students, charging batons and firing sound grenades and shotgun bullets. On the other hand, the police had filed a case against 300 unnamed protesting students. The alleged attack was carried out to free the VC from confinement in the university’s IICT building, and it had left 40 people hurt, including teachers, students and cops.  Zafrin Ahmed, a provost of Begum Sirajunnesa Chowdhury Hall, was at the centre of the initial unrest as she allegedly misbehaved with some students on January 13 when they met her with some complaints. She later resigned from her post, citing health issues.

Teachers of Rajshahi University on Tuesday staged a sit-in at ‘Shaheed Buddhijibi Chattar’ on the campus  protesting ‘ police action on Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) students and expressing solidarity with the ongoing students’ movement. The teachers urged the government to accept the demands of the SUST students. Read:Day 7 of hunger strike: Medical support for protesting SUST students withdrawn Addressing the protest programme, Abdullah Al Mamun, Associate Professor of Mass Communication and Journalism department said, “Police attack on students is noting new. The students of this university were also attacked on the previous days. The peaceful movement in 2014 was attacked. In 2003, Rokeya Hall students were attacked during peaceful protest. The attack incidents are still happening. Why did it happen at SUST? Just because they spoke against dictetorship!” Kazi Mamun Haider, assistant professor in the same department, said, I have seen the students’ movement for the last 10-20 years. In SUST, they wanted to compromise with the administration. The students have been on hunger strike for more than 140 hours but the government is not paying attention to them. We have started the movement supporting the SUST students and our program will continue. Professor Saleh Hasan Naqib of Physics department, Professor Sauvik Reza of Bangla department and Professor Syed. Ali Reza of Management Studies department were present at the demonstration. Read:SUST protest: Proctor-led team fails to reach food, medicines to embattled VC Abdul Majid Ontor, convener of RUCSU Andalan Manch, Shakila Khatun, president of Bangladesh Chhatra Union of RU unit, Mohabbat Hossain Milon, general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra Federation of RU and leaders and activists of other left-leaning student organizations and students of different departments took part in the sit-in. Earlier, Dr. Farid Khan, a Professor of Economics department, staged a ‘silent protest’ on Sunday from 11.00 am to 01.00 pm in front of the administrative building of the university demanding the resignation of SUST Vice-Chancellor Farid Uddin.

A group of Dhaka University's students staged a rally in front of Raju Memorial Sculpture on Sunday in solidarity with the movement being waged by the students of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology in Sylhet. Some 20-25 students joined the rally around 4pm demanding the removal of SUST Vice-Chancellor Professor Farid Uddin. Read:Rally held at DU in solidarity with SUST students Akif Ahmed, third year student of Information and Library Management department, said, "It will be wrong to think of the recent incident of SUST as a separate incident. Every public university is in the same situation." Besides, the relationship between the teachers and the students is not good enough. There is a long distance among them which should not exist for the wellbeing of the country, he added. “A VC is considered as the guardian of a University and it is his duty to save his/her students from external and internal attack. If he cannot meet his students’ legal demands, he cannot hold the post," he said. Read: Education Minister wants a solution to SUST issue Laboni Bonna, student of the Dance Department, said, “We saw in the past that students of different universities protested against the problems of dormitories. But the problems were never resolved.” "We have to stand for SUST students like the vice-chancellors of other universities are backing Farid Uddin," she added.

Students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST), Sylhet staged demonstrations on the campus on Monday demanding the resignation of Vice Chancellor Farid Uddin Ahmed protesting the ‘police action on them’. The students started gathering on the campus Monday morning although the university was declared closed for an indefinite period on Sunday following a clash. They brought out a possession and chanted slogans on different roads inside the campus. Meanwhile, some students were seen leaving their dormitories as per the authorities’ instruction while many others refused to leave and joined the protest rally.  Read: SUST shut after police-student clash, despite controversial provost's resignation

A total of 2,216 students of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology (SUST) have been provided with 15 gigabytes (GB) data each, in a bid to facilitate online classes amid coronavirus pandemic. 

Expressing solidarity with the movement of the workers of state-owned jute mills  students of Shahjalal University of Science & Technology (SUST) formed a human-chain and brought out a silent procession on the campus on Saturday.